Are Koi hard to keep.
Mark
I'm at the fish deciding stage. And my better half has decided on
goldfish shubunkins and comets but we are undecided on Koi, after
reading most of the posts here you seem to have to test the water
for umpteen things a day. Are they hard to keep? We want the
enjoyment of fish and the pond without having to worry about
constantly checking the water.
Also our local shop is selling rainbow dace 1" long has anybody
any experience of these. Eventual size, colour etc.
How long should we wait before adding the fish, this year or is
it better to wait untill the spring.
Pond size is 22' X 16' X 3'
Many Thanks
Mark
dj
have never tested the water, added chemicals, or all the recommended
things things that shop people say. Some of mine are over 16 years old
and doing fine.
Mitch Barrie
> I'm at the fish deciding stage. And my better half has decided on
> goldfish shubunkins and comets but we are undecided on Koi, after
> reading most of the posts here you seem to have to test the water
> for umpteen things a day. Are they hard to keep? We want the
> enjoyment of fish and the pond without having to worry about
> constantly checking the water.
People test the water because they like testing the water. I have two
healthy koi and 30 healthy goldfish and I never test the water.
In my experience, koi are no more difficult to keep than goldfish,
except for the following issues:
o They should have a lot more water than goldfish; people recommend at
least 100 gallons per fish. Personally, I am a little sad my koi only
have a 22" deep pond, so I'm going to build a 3' deep one for them.
o They are big and like to root around in any plant soil you introduce
and can be very hard on plants like lilies and even water hyacinth.
> Pond size is 22' X 16' X 3'
That sounds like a very nice-sized pond for some koi.
Mitch
--
The Urban Redneck : red...@goathill.net : Goat Hill, California
http://www.employees.org/~redneck/ghrc/oldpond.htm
Mark
"Mitch Barrie" <red...@goathill.net> wrote in message
news:a9r4ot0i30himf8dk...@4ax.com...
> o They are big and like to root around in any plant soil you
introduce
> and can be very hard on plants like lilies and even water
hyacinth.
>
> > Pond size is 22' X 16' X 3'
>
> That sounds like a very nice-sized pond for some koi.
>
>
> Mitch
>
>
> --
> The Urban Redneck : red...@goathill.net : Goat Hill,
California
> http://www.employees.org/~redneck/ghrc/oldpond.htm
I've posted some pics of my pond see below goto pond then liner
which shows my wet island would the Koi eventually destroy this?
Mark
----
See my pond at
www.btinternet.com/~mark.haythorne
RudyV13
Rudy
Karen Mullen
<mark.ha...@btinternet.com> writes:
> after
>reading most of the posts here you seem to have to test the water
>for umpteen things a day. Are they hard to keep?
when you first add first it's rather important to check your water to make sure
ph is stablized and that you don't have an ammonia build. if you add fish a
few at a time the ammonia is usually not a problem as the filter will keep up.
If you add a bunch of fish all at once, the ammonia can overwhelm the filter so
keep that in mind. once your pond is established, testing isn't necessary
unless things start going wrong and then testing the water can help determine
the problem. Koi are no hard to keep than goldfish, they just require more
area per fish and can be a bit messier than goldfish (bigger mouths) <smile>
Karen
Ashland, OH
http://hometown.aol.com/kmam1/MyPond/inOhio.
Member Internet Pond Society - IPS
Visit My Pond at http://members.aol.com/kmam1/MyPond/MyPond.html
My Art Studio at
http://members.aol.com/kmmstudios/K.M.Studios/K.M.Studios.html
Mitch Barrie
> I've posted some pics of my pond see below goto pond then liner
> which shows my wet island would the Koi eventually destroy this?
Hard to say. I don't have any experience with sod which is at or
above the waterline.
Mark
news:20010822001847...@nso-fm.aol.com...
> if you add fish a few at a time the ammonia is usually not a
problem as the
> filter will keep up
Is it ok just to have one koi with a mixture of other fish, or do
they prefer company?
Mark
Diana
> they prefer company?
>
> Mark
You have a beutiful pond their, lots of hard work I can see. I would
most definately add a koi if I were you, you have plenty of room for
it. My pond is not very big so I can't have one but if I could I sure
would. Infact might get a little bigger next year for this very
reason.
Koi and Goldfish are fine together. In that size of pond you gotta
give him a little buddy their to swim with.
Great job on that pond. All your hard work has paid off. Your gonna
be the envy of the whole neighborhood.
Diana
Doug Quarnstrom
: Hi, all
: I'm at the fish deciding stage. And my better half has decided on
: goldfish shubunkins and comets but we are undecided on Koi, after
: reading most of the posts here you seem to have to test the water
: for umpteen things a day. Are they hard to keep? We want the
: enjoyment of fish and the pond without having to worry about
: constantly checking the water.
I practically never check the water. ...just once in awhile
to verify things are ok. My fish are four years old and
healthy as ever.
doug
Karen Mullen
<mark.ha...@btinternet.com> writes:
>
>Is it ok just to have one koi with a mixture of other fish, or do
>they prefer company?
>
I currently have only one koi with all goldfish and he gets along just fine.
sandy toez
our pond is going on four years. We did loose a few Koi in first year due to
the new conc. lined pond and water levels too far off, not keeping waterfall
going for airation 24 hrs a day until we learned better, and a couple of
fish got a parasite condition and had to be put down. After that first year,
everything has been fine and the fish are doing well with partial water
changes. We have an efficient pump, sand filter and UV setup. We do salt the
pond lightly a couple times a year. When I check water levels occasionally,
all is normal, pond water clear, plants in good shape and Koi and goldfish
not overstocked. Pond gets partial shade. Only gripe here is string algea
which fish help contain and a bale of barley straw near waterfall seems to
help also. We have one 5 yr Koi that has outsized all the others. She races
around, rooting into Lily plants and causing mischief. The 3 little goldfish
swim around her without fear. If we knew she would be as large as she is,
she would probably be better off in a larger pond than the 1400 gal. she is
in altho we have placed the plants so that she can race in a figure 8
pattern when she wants to and most of the pond is near 3-1/2ft deep so she
has some up and down movement in her route. We have one surviving baby Koi
from 1-1/2 yrs ago that matches her color and swims along side her
constantly. Named Piglet He/she is looking bigger than most that age so we
may be in for it with two very large Koi someday. I'm glad to have these
beautiful Koi; however, I intend to not add to their population and stock
goldfish in future. If my Koi live as long as should be expected, we will be
caring for these fish for a very long time. Things to consider.
sandy toez :>)
"Mark" <mark.ha...@btinternet.com> wrote in message
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